Los Angeles as a Lumber Port

In the year 1898 lumber receipts at Los Angeles harbor totaled 10O,682,000 feet.

That was the first year for which official figures on lumber shipments into this territory are available.

Today Los Angeles is the world's greater lumber port. It has held that position for the past four years.

In 1915 we find that the shipments of lumber into T,os Angeles had grown from the above low figures to 46O million. Then 1916 showed 557 million, I9L7 was 623 millian, 1918 and 1919 dropped below 1917, but 1920 went ahead with 734 million. I92l had slipped to 614 million, and then the big bulge came, and 1922 showed receipts of 1169 million, almost doubling the preceding year, and the preceding high record.

The year L923 then set the high mark of 1,542 million.

The year 1924 showed receipts ol l,2lo million, and 1925 was a little lower, with 1,176 million.

Ninteen twenty-six is promising to surpass every year in history, not excepting the great year 1923, if. we may judge by the figures of the first six months.

Here are the figures for the first six months ol 1926:

The total receipts of Los Angeles harbor for the first six months of 1926 is therefore more than one-half of the total receipts of the banner year 1923.

These are NOT the total amounts of lumber coming into Los Angeles harbor, however, be it understood. These are the totals of lumber coming in from the Northern part of the United States. and from the Redwood district of California. It is usually estimated that approximately ten per cent-a little less than that- of the total receipts of softwood lumber at Los Angeles harbor from the north, is Redwood, the remainder Douglas Fir and Hemlock.

But Los Angeles is also a very large receiver today of hardwoods from many parts of the world, and these receipts do not enter into the softwood figures given above. These woods come from the Gulf Coast, from Costa Rica, Nicaraugua, Guatemala, the Philippines, fndia, Japan, Siam, and Hongkong. The biggest shipper is Philippine mahogany. In 1924 more than six million feet of Philippine mahogany alone entered this port, and the volume has increased considerably since then. Japanese oak is another important w-ood that enters this port in considerable 'quantities.

Here is a good illustration in figures of what the phenomenal development of Los Angeles has meant to the softwood lurtrber shippers of the Pacific Northwest. During the past six years 1920,'2I,'22,'23,'24,'25 that entire territory has shipped to all parts of the world by water 20,823,000;000 feet of lumber, and of that total 6,M7,ffiO,OOO.feet has come to Los Angeles harbor.